Peterborough Christmas appeals to bring joy to children and poorly patients

Two Christmas appeals have launched in Peterborough to make it a festive period to remember for poorly patients and children from a deprived background.
The cast of Snow White visits the offices of Coca-Cola European Partners in WoodstonThe cast of Snow White visits the offices of Coca-Cola European Partners in Woodston
The cast of Snow White visits the offices of Coca-Cola European Partners in Woodston

The appeals aim to give a present to every patient at the hospitals in Peterborough, Stamford and Hinchingbrooke, and to give children an evening to remember at The Cresset pantomine.

The Love from Lapland campaign is being run by the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust which manages all three hospitals.

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The campaign, now back for a second year, is looking to make sure that every patient, from newborns and their mums to the elderly, will receive a gift from Santa Claus on Christmas Day.

Jo Bennis, the trust’s chief nurse, said: “We know that for some patients Christmas can be a particularly lonely time, especially if they do not have any visitors or family nearby to visit them in hospital. We want to brighten their day and show them they can still be part of the festivities despite being an inpatient.”

To help make this Christmas extra special for those unfortunate enough to have to spend it in hospital, staff are asking local communities across Peterborough, Huntingdon and Stamford for their support.

The trust has set up a wishlist on Amazon to give people some inspiration. All items cost less than £10 and any presents ordered directly from the wishlist will be delivered straight to the trust, so you do not need to worry about dropping them off at the hospital.

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Alternatively, presents can be purchased and dropped off at the reception desks at any of the hospitals.

To see the wishlists, visit the Amazon website and type in North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust.

To make a donation on the MyDonate page, visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/lovefromlapland2017.

The trust is unable to accept used items or items that are not in their original packaging due to infection risks. It is also unable to accept food or electrical items.

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Meanwhile, YMCA Trinity Group and The Cresset theatre are for a second year asking organisations and individuals to get involved and spread a little cheer to those in need.

For just £60 they can sponsor a family ticket to see Snow White at The Cresset, allowing two children from deprived backgrounds, accompanied by their guardians, to see the pantomine.

The package even includes an ice cream at the interval and a gift from Santa as well as a donation to YMCA Trinity Group’s family services in Peterborough. Jonathan Martin, CEO of YMCA Trinity Group, said: “We have already set ourselves a target of getting sponsorship to allow over 100 children to come to this year’s pantomime at The Cresset.

“Many of the children we will support will never have had the opportunity to experience the magic of pantomime which is a Christmas tradition for many families. We want to change that and bring some Christmas cheer with the support of the local community.”

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This year’s initiative has already been supported by local organisations including Arbonne International, Nexis Services, Coca Cola European Partners, TC Harrison Ford, Term Times and Buckles Solicitors.

Sponsorship packages are now available. Anyone interested in taking part should contact [email protected] for more information.